Laundry and garment press



June 30, 1925 1 1,544.539

E. H. ESHELMAN LAUNDRY AND GARMENT mass Filed May 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 30,1925. 1,544,539

' E. H. ESHELMAN LAUNDRY AND GARMENT PRESS Filed May 23, 1924 2 sheets-Sheet 2 I gnvcni'oz 24 z'mz/xfsx/a/vm Patented June 30, 1925.

sures PAT o EDWARD :H. EsHELMAN, .orIBm-MINGnAM. ALAnAMAQ LAUNDRY AND GARMENT .r fs- Application filed May'23, 19.24. Seria1 jt{e.7 1'5,450.

"Thou whom it may concern 5 Be it known that I, EDWARD "Es nL- MAN, a citizen of the United States of America, ,residing at Birmingham, in the countyof Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Laundry and Garment Presses, of which-the following is aspecification. f

lvlyinvention relates to laundry and gar- .,ment.presses' which comprise a head and a buck, eitheror both of which are heated by steam .or other suitable means, and which are movable into engagement by any suit- .ablemeanstopress the'work between them.

The chief object of my present invention is to improve the pressby' the provision of means .for exhausting :thesteam or vapor from the garment or material being pressed which will give the following advantages 7 The garment willdry more quickly it will withdraw the steam and gasoline fumes kin such a way as to make them less ofl'ens vet-o r the operator; and, as applied'tO "garment presses, by the quick removal of thesteam applied to moisten the garment I will greatly increas'e'the:capacity output ofthe press. I

My invention further contemplates the .provision .of a press with one of its press members equipped with means for the rapid exhaust of steam from the garment insuc'h manner asito raise the nap of the garment and avoid the shiny objectionable finish, whichis of special advantage in pressing clothes and will add to the life of the garments. i

My invention further contemplates the I equippingofthe exhaust element, whether head or buck, with perforations throughthe heated surface leading ,to a chamber which one .or ,more ,plunger elements will work as the press elements are separated to create a-vacuum and exhaust the vapor or moisture through the perforationsr-r My invention further ,con prises the novel. details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a partof this specification, and in which Fig. 1 illustrates a laundry press with the head shown in elevation and the buck shown in cross-section on the line 11 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the buck taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 13 is a plan :vi'ew of the exhausting headlfor a. garment press. i

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken onthe'hne 414 of Fig. 3; and 'Fig. 5'isa"horizonta l cross-sectional view taken on the 'line'5 5' of Fig. 4. l

' Fig. 6is an enlarged cross-sectional view througha part of the head.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. i

Referring to the la'undry press shown .in Figs. 1 and 2, I show the machine as mounted on a table 1" having standard brackets 2' thereon en which the arms 3, which support the head 4, are pivotally mounted'by means 10f a'hollow shaft through which steam or other suitable medium is delivered through a pipe 6', to the hollow head to heat the same. The head is controlled'by aicrank arm 7 a d an perating e ea ingit 'a -foot"pedal' or other 4 shown. I Th of conventional type and may 'be widely varied both in its structure, method ofjheating' and operation. The'fbnck withwhieh the head 4 'co-acts 'is formed by a plate'9 formed in its under face by afplurality of 'cylinders 10 which open below to receive plungers 11 mounted upon standards j;1 2. s ecured to the table. I show three of these cylindersand illustrate them as occupying the major portion of the cross-sectional area of the plate 9, but my invention contemplates any desired number of or arrangement of cylinders which willsubstantially cover or underlie the working surfaceof Ysalid plate 9. The plate 9 above the several cylinders is provided with a plurality of vsmall perforations 13 and 1 these are covered hover byithe usual cloth cover whioh isjnot shown. The plungers are provided'withan 1 exhaust port 14.,controlle'd by anoutwardly opening check valve 115; f1 utilize any, suitable spring means to lifttl eiplate ;9 from ,the plungers, the aneans shown being a plurality of guide pins '16 which are att'ached to the plate and work through suitable holes in countersunk spring seats in the plungers and receive at their lower ends stop nuts 17. Coil springs 18 are interposed between the plunger andthe plate and act to lift the plate when the pressure thereon from the head is relieved. I

In the operation of this embodiment of my invention the garment to be pressed or ironed "operating means, not

is placed over the buck while the buck plate stands in the raised position shown in Fig. 1. When the head is pressed down the springs 18 are compressed into their respective seats in the pistons and the plate seats against the top of the plungers and is there rigidly supported during the pressing or ironing operation. As soon as pressure is relieved by the raising of the head, the plate 9 will rise, responsive to the action of the springs 18, and the movement of the cylinders relative to the pistons will create a suction which will positively induce air currents to flow through the garment on the buck and through the perforations 13 so that the moisture will be quickly and eflectively withdrawn from the garment and the latter dried very quickly.

Referringto Figs. 3 to 6, I show the essential feature of my invention as adapted for use in a clothes press. Here I show my invention embodied in the press head 19 which is formed by a marginal frame having mounted across its lower or bottom face a steam heated chest or plate 20, and through this plateI providea plurality of small per- ;forations 21 which miss the steam chambers and lead from the lower through the upper surface of the chest. The chest is fixedly held in place in the head frame and I mount a movable plunger 22 free to work vertically with a close fit in an exhausting chamber 23 formed in the head frame above the steam plates 26 by means of which it is connected The head as thus deto operating arms 3. scribed will co-operate with any standard type of buck and the head may be heated by steam as stated or by any other equivalent means. the chest by a pipe 27 leading through a boss 28 in the head frame and entering the head below the plunger. p

In operation, the head is pressed against The steam as shown is supplied to.

the buck in the usual manner, this pressure acting to compress the springs until the plunger engages the chest 21. When pressure is relieved on the head the springs act immediately to raise the plunger and to suck through the perforations 21, which are closely interspersed about the working face of the head, air currents which will take up and carry off the moisture, vapor and fumes in the garment and which travel in a direction to lift the nap of the garment and thus improve its finished appearance. v r

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2-- 1. A. press having asco-acting elements a head and a buck, in combination with automatic means in at least one of said elements to induce a flow of air through the garment on the separation of the co-acting elements.

2. A press according to claim 1, in which said. air flow inducing means comprises a suction plunger working in a cylinder in a press element, there being a plurality of perforations connecting said cylinder with the working face of the element.

3. A press according to claim 1, in which said air flow inducing means comprises a suction plunger working in a cylinder in a press element, there being a plurality of perforations connecting said cylinder with the working face of the element, spring means interposed between plunger and cylinder, and a check valve to permit the free escape of air and vapor from said cylinder.

4. In a press comprising as co-acting ele-- ments a head and a buck, automatic means in at least one of said elements to induce a flow of air through the garment in the press, said means comprising a chamber having a plurality of fine perforations opening therefrom through the working face of the element, a suction plunger working in said chamber, spring means to normally separate the plunger from the perforated wall of the chamber, said wall and plunger being forced into contact during the pressing operation, and means to permit a free escape of air from the space between the plunger and per-' forated chamber wall. a r r In testimony whereof I affiX my signature.

EDWARD n. ESHELMAN.

Witness Nomn WELSH. 

